A Samsung insider reports that the Galaxy S27 Ultra will add DC dimming, a technology no Samsung flagship has used before. A separate report says the phone will use the M16 panel, which is more power-efficient, brighter, and richer in color. Samsung is also said to be working on resolution and color fixes for the Privacy Display. The S27 Ultra and S27 Pro get the M16, while the base S27 and S27+ keep the M14+.
Samsung is reportedly bringing three upgrades to the Galaxy S27 Ultra display next year: DC dimming, the M16 panel, and fixes for the Privacy Display introduced on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The phone already sounds appealing on paper, and a redesign will probably drive more sales, but these screen changes are tangible improvements users should appreciate.
According to a new report, which has been translated, from one of the industry’s most reliable Samsung insiders, the Galaxy S27 Ultra’s display will pick up DC dimming. Until now, Samsung’s flagship phones have used only PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) dimming, so DC dimming would be a first for the company’s top models. The only Galaxy phone with DC dimming was the Galaxy S24 FE, and that came down to the panels Samsung used. It alternated between PWM and DC dimming depending on brightness, and neither the Galaxy S25 FE nor the Galaxy S26 FE kept that setup.
The two methods work differently. With PWM dimming, the display switches on and off very rapidly to appear at a certain brightness, usually set by the brightness slider. DC dimming controls the voltage to the display instead, producing a constant low or high brightness level.
Samsung’s flagships, like Apple’s, use a low PWM frequency, usually topping out at just 480 Hz. Many Chinese flagships use 1,920 Hz or higher, sometimes 3,840 Hz, which makes low frequency one of the weak points of both Samsung’s and Apple’s flagships. A higher frequency means fewer cases of eye strain, while some people sensitive to low-frequency PWM dimming get headaches, nausea, and more than strained eyes.
A few flagships now combine the two, using PWM at low brightness and DC dimming at higher levels, as the Galaxy S24 FE did. That is because low voltage on OLED and AMOLED displays distorts the color output, causing muddy results or odd tints. For the S27 Ultra, this makes DC dimming a big deal. Samsung will likely use the hybrid model and almost certainly “DC-like” dimming, in which pixels never turn fully off but oscillate between high and low brightness to ease eye strain.
The reason for that expectation is the panel. Another report, which also leaked Galaxy S27 series prices, says the Galaxy S27 Ultra and the new Galaxy S27 Pro will use Samsung’s M16 panel. The iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the iPhone Duo use it too. The base Galaxy S27 and the Galaxy S27+ will stay with the M14+ panel.
The M16 is far more power-efficient and much brighter, and it uses the DC-like dimming described above. It should also output richer, better-looking colors, which together should make the screen easier on the eyes and nicer to look at.
Samsung is also reportedly working on fixes for the Privacy Display that debuted on the Galaxy S26 Ultra this year. Compromises made to accommodate it have led many users to complain about eye strain, headaches, and nausea, even with the feature turned off.
Samsung is said to be addressing not only that complaint but also the resolution hit the S26 Ultra’s screen takes when Privacy Display is on. Improvements to the washed-out colors that appear while the feature is in use are also in the works.
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Cristian Penisoara is a Guides Writer and Android specialist at Droid Tools. An Android user since version 2 and a professional event photographer, he combines technical curiosity with a detail-oriented approach - every guide he publishes is tested step-by-step on a real device before it goes live.
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